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Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Giant Lemon Sugar Cookies

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...When I was a little girl, bread not made at home came from a neighborhood bakery. These were, of course family operations, and tradition dictated that children be given a free cookie when they came into the store. Though grateful, I was always disappointed because I had my eyes on bigger things. I desperately wanted one of the giant sugar cookies displayed in the shop window. While they never made it to our market basket, there were times when two or three carefully wrapped eggs or a hunk of butter did. During the war years, bakeries were exempt from the rationing imposed on the general population and bakers, interestingly, were also exempt from the draft. No one talked much about it, but our early birthday cakes were almost always the results of negotiations with the baker, who did very nicely for himself during the war years. I'm convinced my love of giant and monster cookies dates back to that period of my life. I love to buy them, I love to bake them, and I certainly love to eat them. It's true I've gotten fussy over time. Most of the commercial variety taste like frosted cardboard, so I've taken to making my own. This is one of the recipes I've collected for them, and because this week is dedicated to all things lemon, I thought you might enjoy my giant lemon sugar cookies. They're not half bad, and if you like lemon, you'll probably love them. You'll find the flavor and ease with which they can be made, improves the longer the dough is chilled. I prepare the dough a day before I plan to shape and bake the cookies. These are really easy to do and the raw cookie dough also freezes well. I hope you'll enjoy them. Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar, divided use
Zest of 2 large lemons, divided use
1 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 to 2 teaspoon lemon extract
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
Directions:
1) To make lemon sugar: Combine 1/2 cup sugar with 1 teaspoon lemon zest in the bowl of a mini-food processor. Pulse until lemon zest is incorporated into sugar. Pour into a small bowl and stir to break up any clumps. Set aside.
2) To make cookie dough: Combine flour, salt, cream of tartar and baking soda in a medium bowl. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter with reserved 1-1/2 cups sugar. Blend in eggs, one at a time. Add lemon extract, lemon juice and reserved lemon zest. Add flour mixture, one cup at a time, blending well after each addition, until all flour is incorporated.
Refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour.
3) To bake cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Shape dough into balls using 2 tablespoons of dough for each cookie. Roll in reserved lemon sugar. Bake in batches of six cookies per 18 x 13-inch baking sheets. Place balls of sugar coated dough on cookie sheets. Press down with the bottom of a glass or measuring cup until cookie is about 1/2-inch thick. Bake cookies for 12-14 minutes. Remove tray from oven. Let cookie sit on tray for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack. Yield: 24 saucer-sized cookies.

In Greece we still have bakeries in the neighborhoods and these are the places where we buy bread. Usually our childhood memories follow us for the rest of our lives. The cookies look giant and delicious Mary!

Interesting to read about rationing during the war. I wonder why bakers got special treatment - maybe because they play a crucial role supplying a staple item? Those giant cookies are also great if we are only allowed a certain number per day:)

Oh my Noses! I think I'm in heaven! I'm in Citrus Heaven! I knew I wanted to return here for a reason! Yum, lemon is my absolute favourite flavour and you have so many scruptious recipes with lemon in them!! Please give me more... :D

I'll definitely be making these in the next week--I love huge cookies as well and have enjoyed them ever since I was allowed to have one a few times a month when we went on trips to the grocery store. One of the few store-bought cookies I could have! I can't wait to make these.

My mom sent me a Confederate Army cookbook. Now, THAT was rationing. Coffee made out of roasted okra or acorns. Mock apple pies with lemon rind, tantaric acid (whatever that is) and whatever spices they could get their hands on. Cheers!

I love lemon sugar cookies! They are right behind my favorite chocolate chip cookies! These look so lovely, Mary. I need to make a batch of these this weekend!! Thanks so much for sharing...and I love the story about your youth!

Thanks for visiting my blog, Mary and thanks for your kind words! Your blog is amazing! Your pics are so clear and tempting that make my mmouth drool...And these cookies have such a flattering look! They'd be great to be served with tea. Mmmmm... I wish I could have some now with my cup of tea (I have no cookies to eat in this moment...)

I love this story, Mary. :-) Sugar cookies were the cookies I craved and longed for most as a child. My Mother was of the whole wheat and carob chips variety at the time, so these white beauties glistening with white sugar were pure heaven. :-) I can't wait to try this lemon version. :-)

My son is a lemon lover, even his favotite color is yellow! Love the way you did the lemon sugar which may also have other uses, right? Maybe to sweeten a cup of tea! Bookmarked!!!!! Thank you for sharing your childhood story and this wonderful recipe!!!

Love these giant lemon sugar cookies and the memories that come with it too! My grandma used to own the only variety store in our village and she always gives me the biggest cookies. I guess I never forgot that 'cause I somehow tend to bake bigger cookies all the time!

Hi Mary, thanks so much for your nice comment on my blog! That was so sweet! By the way, these cookies look wonderful. I just printed them out to try because I love anything lemon. I'm really enjoying your blog as well. So many delicious recipes! Take care, Ryan

Basically I love anything lemon, and I just hit the mother lode on your blog this week! I love how you press down on the sugared dough with a glass, and the fact that they are "giant" is even better! Bookmarked:)

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